Shawn would be a good one to wring it out.

I flew the wings off of mine, literally. I resurrected it with twin tail booms, fixed flaps and a Norvel .061. Called it the Refried Bean.
Rusty

Looks like a nice home-cut kit. I don't recognize some of the pieces compared to the Brodak kit I built, but that's no concern. I would rather have one that allowed a beam mounted engine so I could run a Medallion or a Tee Dee. Or a Brodak .049, which would not be my choice, but it is for a lot of people.
Rusty

A rather mild baby bee will pull a 'bean just fine.  I flew mine on a single bypass baby bee growing up. There isn't much more mild.  Even on this weak engine, with 35 ft lines, it will do any stunt you ask as long as the engine is running healthy.

On a mild bee, a 6x3 prop will preform better than a 5x3 prop, unless a rubber ducky, then a 6x4 as it will flatten and loose pitch.  The larger diameter will provide more thrust, at a loss of RPM vs the smaller size.  On a mild baby bee the rpm loss is not that much as the engine won't spool up to the higher RPM that a more performance setup will provide. 

Phil

A rather mild baby bee will pull a 'bean just fine.  I flew mine on a single bypass baby bee growing up. There isn't much more mild.  Even on this weak engine, with 35 ft lines, it will do any stunt you ask as long as the engine is running healthy.

On a mild bee, a 6x3 prop will preform better than a 5x3 prop, unless a rubber ducky, then a 6x4 as it will flatten and loose pitch.  The larger diameter will provide more thrust, at a loss of RPM vs the smaller size.  On a mild baby bee the rpm loss is not that much as the engine won't spool up to the higher RPM that a more performance setup will provide. 

Phil

  I can confirm that a Lil Jumpin Bean with a Golden Bee and a 6-3 prop will do the entire AMA stunt pattern, if trimmed correctly. In fact, the week before my first contest, I probably put in 25+ patterns with that combination because I could fly it in the empty lot next door. It *will not* do it to the specified dimensions, but that's sort of beside the point for 1/2A.

      Brett

Boy how did we manage flying with the dacron lines that came in some of the kits as well as the fibre type material used for a handle.   Lines tied to the bell crank and handle was the storage place for the lines.  I guess that is why I got by with 25 foot lines in the side yard of the place we lived.   Would you believe an old kitchen table was my launching pad with my version of a stooge release.   A lot of good flights with Scientific American Boy with OK Cub .049A.

That's very nice !!!!

...I realized that the crankshaft fits inside the crankcase with a lot of slack. I suppose that this will bring a lot of vibration? I'll try the motor on a bench first. I may have to buy a crankcase, crankshaft, cylinder and piston at Cox International.

Paul, PM me your address and I'll send you a couple of crankcases.
That's a Super Bee with the "Thimble Drome" stamp on it. Could have come out of an old plastic P-40. It has a dual bypass cylinder and should have good power for your Bean.

That's a really nice looking build.
Rusty

It did. Thanks.

Thanks Ken. This Brodak kit was meant for a beam mounted .049. The plastic radial mount is not good looking and I wanted the Lil' Bean to look like the one I had in 1976, that's why I added the cheeks. I got lucky and it turned out well. 

Thanks Phil. 

Thanks Fred,

Of all the 1/2A CL kits the Lil' Bean is the cutest, at least that's what I think. I'm sure I'll build another one. I flew my first Lil' Bean in Canada when I was young, but now I live in France and nobody here knows about the Lil' Bean, so I was happy to find the Stunthangar control line forum and you guys.

Next time I will glue some silkspan on the fuselage and stabilizers during the finishing process because I haven't had any issues with the CG location (I thought it would be tail heavy). I've had a heck of a time keeping the balsa grain invisible, it kept popping up. 

Just takes more clear and light sanding to get rid of the grain with maybe a touch of talcum powder added to the dope.

Paul BB

When I am filling grain... I tend to prefer the zink sterate from Randy Smith but have used Talc and cornstarch as filler

I first lightly sand all the balsa...then I just SLATHER ON the first of several coast of Nitrate or Butyrate dope n filler mix

I think at this stage I am thinning only 60/40 and NOT caring a bit about brush strokes of self leveling... MOSTLY because, once it dries I intend to sand almost all of it off

Once I get only 2 to 3 coats I can tell the grain is filled, the fuzzes sanded off with 400 grit, and there is enough dope remaining that sort of is shiny--- to let the paper/tissue/span/silk... soften and glue down with my 70/30 dope "perimeter glue"

I shy away from transparent coverings as--- IMO -----they require the ENTIRE wood construction to be CRAFTSMAN perfect with ZERO lifts, gaps, or funky glue joints ANYWHERE

That all said...your photos of the yellow transparent Bean look pretty darned good

Thanks MM, Fred and Jim. 

Fred, the photo is not in high resolution, and some filler can be seen between the leading edge and the lower sheeting. I also messed up a little the wing tips because this yellow transparent film is light and does not conform to wing tips as well as Monokote does.

Jim thanks for the carbon veil tip.

Thanks for all the tips Fred. I have viewed some of Windy Urtownsky's videos to find some inspiration. I suppose the most important is to find one's own best finishing method. 

It really depends on the line.  If you are using Spectra fishing line, roll it up on the handle or on a reel, or cut some plastic (or even cardboard if nothing else is available) to make a flat line holder.  Dacron can be treated like Spectra, but it is so stretchy I would recommend 20# Power Pro fishing line instead.  If you are using wire store it on a round spool like it probably shipped on. 

Phil